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September 29, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIi
Contributed
DISSATISFACTION.
By William Thomas McElroy, Jr.
In days of youth we forward look
Tn nil wo'll Ho whon wrviitb la <r/\nA
And miss the joys of boyhood's prime.
Because the future lures us on.
In age, when wealth and fame are ours,
Our glance is ever to the past?
Oh, would that we might have again
The things we once behind us cast.
And thus we miss the best of life,
Dreaming of future things, or past;
And then what life has failed to give,
We trust for heaven to give at last.
l^ouisville, Ky.
A SYNODICAL CRISIS.
By E. P. Marvin.
An appeal from the action of the New York Presbytery
on the licensure of the three young men from
Union Seminary, comes before the Synod of New York
in October.
This will bring on a crisis that will test the strength
and courage of the destructive Critics and their apolo
gisis, in tne largest synoci 01 our cnurcn. in tnis important
epoch all intelligent and orthodox Christians
should know that ignorance, doubt or disbelief concerning
the fundamentals of the gospel, disqualifies
a man for preaching, and they should have the courage
of their convictions. Cowardice in such a case is sin
and charity covering soul-destroying heresies, is
wrong.
It is probable that if half a dozen of the central and
essential doctrines of the Bible, believed by all evangelical
denominations, were presented to these candidates,
they would respond with ignorance, evasiveness
or positive unbelief.
If cnrli mpn orn 1 woncP/1 urn mou oc \trn11 fltrnur n/\t
only our Confession of Faith, but our Bible out
of the Church. The "New Religion" of destructive
criticism, is old infidelity. Its "Creedless Faith"
even in its very title, is the limit of absurdity. Conceited
young men who despise "the old blue Theology."
and boast of progress up to date, if well read,
would know that nearly all their objections to the
Bible are found in "Paine's Age of Reason," written
a nuncirea years ago, ana see tnat tney are a hundred
years behind the times. They might also find that all
of these objections have been fairly answered many
times.
Such men may preach sociology, literature and modern
fads but they will not preach the great and vital
themes of ruin and redemption. They may preach
Christ as a good and a great teacher, but not Christ
crucified. If they had brains and honesty enough they
would see and confess, that if Christ was not God
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for sin, He was the most gigantic imposter that ever
lived. Their blasts at the Rock of Ages are but firecrackers.
Why do such men seek ordination for orthodox pulpits?
Is it because of the four great principles?the
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five loaves and the two fishes? In orthodox pulpits,
the intelligent world regards them as perjured men
and in a false position.
We are forbidden to yoke up with unbelievers, to
bid them God speed and even to eat in fellowship with
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mathematics will wreck a bank, and liberal religion
will wreck a soul. The greatest danger of the Church
comes from the shrewd, polished and pleasing errors
of the pulpit. The Church always goes down head
first. The true preacher is a specialist under a divine
commission, contending earnestly for the faith.
The skeptics of old were outside in the open, but
now thev seek the local advantage of the nnlnit whprp
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they have special advantages, and outside infidels are
comparatively quiet.
We therefore face an unprecedented crisis at our
coming Synodical meeting, but I trust we shall come
out all right. These young men were licensed by only
a small portion of New York Presbytery, and we can
but believe that the Synod will reverse the action.
But let the test come and the lines be drawn, the
sooner the better.
Let us learn from the past. Years ago when the
New England Apostacy came on, the charitable and
amiable orthodox saints bore kindly with the defectionists
until they could endure it no longer, the lines
were drawn, the heretics were in the majority, and it
is said that they took every church house in New
England.
But we have good reason to hope and believe that
the destructive critics and their charitable sympathisers
will be in the minority in the coming Synod. Then
these unsound men ought to leave and go to their
own place. They boast of being "broad minded";
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"broad road"? They are troublesome with us.
If they do not voluntarily leave, the overseers of
the flock of God ought to put them out by some means,
and thus save the Church from apostacy.
Lockport, N. Y.
.When the Psalmist said, "It is good for me that I
have been afflicted," he was not talking cant. He had
reached the point in his earthly career at which he
could look back upon the preceding years and see
them?much as God sees them?as a whole. He
could appreciate the danger of the temptations which
hp harl mft a nrl the nprensitv nf ?<harn warnings at
this point, and of actual scourgings of the soul at this
point, in order to prevent his straying, or to rescue
him, already strayed from the way of safety. Such
a retrospect of life is granted to each of us at times,
and it is full of instruction. It teaches a tremendous
truth, the need and use of unhappiness. Chastening
widens the experience, deepens the sympathy, enlarges
the range of friendship, invigorates character,
throws the soul back upon God in firmer trust and
does a work for the soul so noble that, if its own character
alone be regarded the divine love behind it and
pervading it becomes evident. Blessed are they who
no longer need to be thus assured, because their own
hearts have learned the truth and rest upon it.?The
Congregationalism